If a plea in a desperate situation doesn’t work, one has no choice but to resort to a bit of intimidation.
“There’s a quiet cabin at the far end of the eastern forest,” I said.
“Is that so…?”
“It’s a cabin made by stacking logs, literally a cabin. Do you know whose it is?”
“Well, I’m on good terms with the villagers, so I know who lives where, but beyond the eastern forest, I’m not sure.”
“There’s a reason you don’t know well. It doesn’t belong to a villager.”
I began building up to my threat, yet Alfonso, or rather Detective Alfonso’s twin, seemed uninterested in my words.
But my next statement would catch his attention.
“Have you heard of the Louisette family?”
The man blinked as if trying to recall something.
“Yes, the great noble family, said to be the wealthiest in the empire, second only to His Majesty.”
“Indeed. But why does that family matter?”
“That cabin—it’s owned by that family.”
“Oh, I see. I didn’t know that. So, what does that mean?”
His expression seemed to ask, “So what?” This was unexpected. Hiding my surprise, I continued with feigned composure.
“The house where I’m staying is that very cabin. Do you understand what that means?”
“So… you mean you are from the Louisette family?”
“Precisely.”
Only then did the man’s expression change.
While he might not know exactly the identity of the woman suddenly appearing in this countryside, tossing around expensive jewelry and asking to take care of a child, he would deduce there was some connection to those of high status.
“I won’t be gone long. At most a few hours… no, I’ll return within half a day, so please take care of the child just for a moment.”
“Uh, no… but taking care of a child… I can’t even see the child.”
“Why can’t you see? Didn’t you say you had four… no, five younger sisters?”
“Excuse me? How do you know that?”
Oops. The fact that Detective Alfonso has a family of five or six isn’t something I’ll find out until much later, more than a year from now.
I almost made a slip-up. The secret of having used the magical stone to travel back in time must be kept absolutely quiet.
“Detective Alfonso is quite famous in the village.”
I managed to explain it away appropriately. Perhaps the compliments didn’t sit badly with him, as a faint blush appeared on the man’s cheek.
“Ahem. Then, it will only be for half a day. I can’t keep her longer.”
“Sure, of course. I probably won’t even take the whole half day.”
Maybe. I kept that last part to myself and carefully handed Valerie over to the man.
“Um, may I ask what this child’s name is?”
“Valerie.”
“Pardon?”
“Her name is Valerie.”
“The Valerie from Louisette? Ah, understood.”
I felt a bit relieved. The detective agency, with its fascinating array of curiosities, was enough to capture the attention of a small child. Valerie was busy exploring the office’s objects, completely disregarding whether I stayed or left.
***
I thought it would only take an hour at most.
“Where on earth are they…!”
However, finding the hidden secret warehouse was not as easy as I had imagined.
I thought that in such a small, quiet village, I could easily find my destination with just a little digging, but I was far off in my expectations.
Just because it was a backward rural village didn’t mean it was small; it was only after two hours of pushing through the brush that I realized this.
“How did Franz find the magic stone?”
Or did he know it from the beginning?
“Is there a map or something…?”
I want that map. I sat down, feeling the strain in my now swollen legs.
“Ah, my legs.”
I had confidently claimed it would only take half a day. I worried that I might not find it before time ran out.
“I hope Valery is okay.”
There’s a path that leads directly into the forest after leaving the detective agency.
Following this path into the thicket, I came upon a fork with three paths; the two on the right led to the busier part of town, while the left path delved deeper into the denser forest.
It was unlikely a magic stone warehouse would be built in a place frequented by many people, so searching the secluded forest seemed much more promising.
The problem was, this rural village located at the edge of the empire had over 80% of its total area made up of such forests.
“If I were to inspect every part of the forest, a day wouldn’t be nearly enough.”
I couldn’t assert that there was no magic stone warehouse where I had looked; I didn’t even know what the entrance looked like, so it was possible I passed by it without realizing.
As this thought crossed my mind, a sigh escaped from deep within me. Time was short, and there were many places to search.
So, to increase my chances, I needed to think strategically rather than just wandering aimlessly.
“It wouldn’t have been hidden just anywhere. There must be some kind of marker. There would also be reasons for choosing such a location.”
I settled down and immersed myself in thought, reflecting on the connection between Franz, Marina, and the relation to the Louisette family, contemplating the magic stone.
The Grand Duke’s underground is storing magic stones. Additionally, the Count has magic stones hidden in his secret cave. There is an underground tunnel connecting the Grand Duke and the Count.
In the middle of that passage, there is an immense amount of magic stones stored, far more than the royal warehouse can compare to.
This means that the places where Franz and Marina are hiding the magic stones are somehow related to the House of Louisette. Of course, this could not be the case, but in trying to speculate and create possibilities, it seemed feasible.
“Then, could it be…?”
Count Louisette’s villas are scattered throughout the empire. This holds true for our Urentum as well. The likelihood is high that Franz’s secret magic stone warehouse is related to the House of Louisette.
If so, could there be a connection between Louisette’s villa in Urentum and the magic stone warehouse?
As I thought this, I couldn’t just sit quietly. While massaging my swollen calves, I abruptly stood up.
Instead of aimlessly cutting through the vast forest, wouldn’t it be better to use my head to find the side with even a slight possibility?
“Right. There’s dense woods behind the cabin too.”
The place where Valerie and I woke up after flying through time. That spot might hold some possibilities. I was anxious and hurriedly moved my feet.
***
“Who are these guys?!”
The knights of the royal investigation team did not miss the unfamiliar figures that appeared with a flash of light.
Matthias dashed toward the sound of the knight’s shout, cautiously observing two men curled up on the ground, moaning.
Having spent a long time on the road, the strangers’ appearances were in disarray. Torn, worn clothing, covered in dust, did not match the count’s image at all.
“How did you get here? What are you?”
Stepping out among the knights, Matthias positioned himself at the forefront. His weapon was aimed at one of the strangers’ faces.
The men, seemingly blinded, could hardly lift their heads, but something about them seemed familiar. Matthias immediately recognized one of the faces among the strangers.
“It’s you…”
The man’s disheveled black hair, coated in dust, weakly swayed with his movements.
His brittle, lifeless hair reflected his sorry state. The man was Stilikov, a close associate of Duke Toskur.
“A fugitive criminal and his escort! Bind them immediately!”
It was unclear how they had suddenly appeared here. One thing was certain: they likely did not use any physical means to arrive.
Given that the count’s domain could not be intruded upon by walking or running, they had appeared in a flash of light as if they had just fallen from the sky.
They had clearly used magic.
In response to Matthias’s command, the knights of the royal investigation team moved in unison.
Without hesitation, they rushed toward the strangers, binding them tightly, ensuring they couldn’t move, and forced them back onto the ground.
Strangely, Stilikov showed no signs of resistance while being restrained.
“Confirmed, it’s you.”
Grabbing his hair, Matthias lifted Stilikov’s face to confirm his identity. Once he recognized the stranger as Stilikov, he directed his team to contact the palace.
“It seems something has happened to Her Majesty in the cave.”
As they awaited news of Celeste, who had entered the cave, suddenly the criminals they were pursuing appeared, as if they had flown in on their own. This was no coincidence.
Even if it were a coincidence, seeing those who infiltrated my secret place with magic made it urgent to assign protection to Her Majesty the Empress as soon as possible. Matthias grew anxious.
